With 40 points, six rebounds, and four assists on 14-25 shooting, Oklahoma City wing Jalen Williams led the way as the Thunder went up 3-2 in the NBA Finals – and showed everyone just how good he is in the biggest game yet of his basketball career.
In just his third season out of Santa Clara, Williams averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.6 steals on 48.4% shooting to help spearhead one of the most dominant regular seasons in NBA history for the 68-win Thunder. That earned Williams his first NBA All-Star and All-NBA selections during a season in which he didn't turn 24 until a week before the playoffs.
Between his well-rounded skill set, unique blend of athletic attributes, and stoic persona, Jalen Williams is considered by many to one of the more likable games in the NBA. He stands 6-5 with a wingspan north of 7-2, giving him a standing reach of 8-9.5. That gives him the length of many starting power forwards at the size of a shooting guard. Pair that with his strong 211-pound frame and explosive athleticism, and he has a rare combination of physical tools that allow him to start at three positions on either side of the ball with physical mismatch advantages.
Most NBA stars seem to have been surefire former McDonald's All-Americans in retrospect because hindsight is 20/20, but it's more true of Williams than most. A former lottery pick drafted 12th overall in 2022, he has so few holes in his game at such a young age, and he might still just be scratching the surface of his potential.
Yet Williams was far from a 5-star prospect. He was a high 3-star recruit ranked 230th in his class by 247Sports with just three Division I offers – Hofstra, Nevada, and Santa Clara. Williams averaged 23.3 PPG as a junior in high school and more than 25 PPG as a senior at Perry (Gilbert, AZ), which wasn't yet the national title contender it is now but was still a prominent Arizona boys basketball program. What could've possibly been the catch?
Well, Williams wasn't done growing in hight or bulk yet when he entered college. He was listed at 6-3, 178 exiting high school, and was considered a combo guard prospect. Sometimes scouts whiff on clear can't-miss talent, but in Williams' case, nobody could've known he'd be matching up with NBA power forwards just a few years down the road – although his wingspan was presumably close to seven feet already. Williams also hadn't filled out his frame yet, and between growing two inches and packing on muscle during college, he proved to be able to support a frame that was both taller and bulkier without losing explosion or agility. With all that said, it's still a valid topic of discussion whether he should've been ranked higher and offered more as he was.
Once at Santa Clara, Williams averaged 7.7 PPG as a freshman, 11.5 PPG as a junior, and career-highs of 18 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 51.3% FG, 39.6% 3FG, and 80.2% FT as a senior. In 2021-22, he earned First Team All-WCC honors and was a finalist for the Lou Henson Award for the nation's top mid-major star. In doing so, Williams made himself not only an NBA prospect but in fact a lottery pick by Sam Presti and a popular prospect in the NBA Draft scouting world.
Sometimes when looking back at NBA players who were underrated in high school, there's an inherent lesson that college scouts and recruiters often whiff on elite talent. In the case of Jalen Williams and others considered late bloomers in physical development, the "lesson" is that a late growth spurt of just two inches can quickly elevate a 3-star recruit to lottery pick status.
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